Military veterans Doug Whetstone, Stevan Duke and Ron Lewis listen during a reent city council meeting during which a Veterans Addiction Recovery Program was discussed.

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A new Washington County court program could offer military veterans an alternative route to work through criminal charges without jail time.

Area veterans have been working with government attorneys and judges on the idea of a veterans court, which could help veterans arrested for qualifying crimes to address underlying issues tied to their military service, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse.

Since 2004, the number of veterans being treated for mental illness and substance abuse has increased 38 percent, according to the national advocacy group Justice for ...